“Archibald! I am so glad that you happened to be here by chance!” We both knew how much he left to “chance”. “I need one of you to train me!”
Apparently my acting abilities left the catorian so unimpressed that he said calmly:
“Craving knowledge? How commendable! It’s music to the ears of a teacher who is so tired of talentless knuckleheads.” Archibald was addressing Grizdan, who just shrugged his shoulders.
“The triskelion becomes you.” Archibald looked me over from head to toe and his glance stopped for a moment at Bernard’s emblem. “And the Daro set as well. So, you have decided to prepare to meet Ahean?”
Just a couple of sentences, and here I was again in the role of Truman. Steve started commenting on what was already obvious:
“With a 70% probability there is not only a tracking device on you that shows your current location, but also a magical transmitter which relays sound and a video recording.. Archibald can see and hear the same things as you. Recommended action: Update your protection.”
“Right. Kill the jerks, save the planet,” I agreed. At this point I was ready to agree with the catorian on just about anything, so as to obtain what I was looking for. “So how about training?”
“Attack, defense, support?” Amazing, but Archibald was not beating about the bush and cut right to the chase. “We are not in the Academy; a player can receive only one ability per week. Choose what you need right now.”
“Attack.” I was more than happy with what I had for defense right now. “What is there available for a level 50 player?”
“Do you need something for individual or mass attack?” the catorian continued indifferently. “Instantaneous or time-delayed? Costly and strong or a little weaker but less energy-intensive? I could go on like this forever. Stop mincing like a wallflower! What is it that you want?”
A little earlier I had discussed with Steve all the acceptable options, and so I was ready with the answer to that question:
“I need ‘Leguria’.”
The catorian’s eyes turned into two narrow furry slits.
“Great Madonna…,” Grizdan exclaimed at the back of the room, but Archibald silenced him with a harsh gesture.
“Your suzerain keeps interesting books in his library,” the catorian said slowly. The tip of his tail twitched, betraying his puzzlement. “I cannot teach you for ‘Leguria’, as I am a Light one. You need Gerhard van Brast. He is the only one who would be able to help you. I have no right to deny you training, so I will arrange for you to see the Head. As to whether he will agree to train you is not my problem. Grizdan, a portal to the Citadel.”
I lingered, getting cold feet about my seemingly simple and interesting choice.
“Come!” The catorian entered the building and pulled me after himself to the second floor. “How’s your interest in art? Still there?”
“As if you don’t know,” I grumbled, but, fearing to break my teacher’s good mood, continued to the facts. “The problem is the name of the person in the painting. I only know that she was Elizabeth’s teacher.”
“That amount of knowledge will not take you far. What you have, though, is such a surfeit of attitude that it is as if you had the pendant already in your pocket,” my teacher said testily. “You don’t know anything‒ right? A mockery of an explorer!”
“It’s because I don’t have anyone to help poor lonely me. Even my teacher turned his… tail from training me,” I quipped insolently. “I have to do everything myself, working hard day and night. Slowly, maybe, but surely I will reach my goal.”
Archibald said nothing. We quickly reached the room with the anchor ball; a thin ray from it created a portal for us. Once we were in the Citadel, the teacher dragged me straight to the room with the painting.
“Look,” A beautiful fair-haired lady was looking regally from the canvas, her foot placed triumphantly on the slain monster. The monster was horrifying, with a body seemingly made of fog, without a clear outline, but with a huge number of tentacles. The painting was titled “Great Warrior”, and rightly so. “This monster actually is ‘Leguria’. You still want to learn that skill?”
I shuddered. Before I visited Bernard’s library, I had supposed that all skills were universal and didn't depend in the “coloration” of the player; however, a book I had come across while scanning literature, titled "The Dark Talent", dispelled those notions. Dark ones had a whole cornucopia of unique spells that varied greatly in terms of impact. The most horrendous ones were able to destroy entire worlds in a matter of seconds; weaker ones were localized, destroying all life only within a certain area. “Leguria” was one of the latter, and was not limited to any specific class. In effect, all the Dark player needed to do was to call up the actual Leguria. It was impossible to control the creature. It immobilized everything alive within a radius of 30 yards from the location to which it was called, and then methodically destroyed them all by sucking up their Energy. Within 50 yards all living beings felt ill and tried to get away as fast as possible, while the weakest ones despondently followed Leguria’s call and died in great suffering. Half of all the Energy it obtained Leguria kindly transferred to the accumulating device of the owner, who was off limits to it. Sort of a localized Armageddon for Energy production. In order to generate the maximum amount of Energy, the victims died in horrible agony: the monster plunged them into primal fear. The more fear was experienced, the sweeter the deaths were for the monster. UN representatives would have definitely vetoed the ritual of calling the monster had they known about the existence of the Game.
I was never sadistic, but at this stage there was nothing else I could use to fight against the mages and Dolgunata.
“I know what Leguria is.” It was hard, but I held Archibald’s stare. “I am not going to try and find excuses for myself, because I am at war, where all is fair. Who is she?” I nodded at the lady warrior.
“Anna, the only student of Madonna. Perished several centuries ago.”
“Was she Elizabeth’s teacher?”
“Where did you come up with that?” The catorian’s eyebrow flew up quizzically. “No, Anna never was Elizabeth’s teacher.”
“But what about the pendant?” I pointed at the warrior’s neck. “That’s the lost jewelry of Lady Lecleur. I discovered that the pendant was a gift to Elizabeth from a person very close to her, and that her life is tied to that thing. That’s why there is such a hullabaloo about its disappearance. If we suppose that Anna was Elizabeth’s teacher, that would explain twelve spiritual advisors for the mistress of the estate. She is the third after Madonna.”
“Cool theory. It explains a lot. I am even almost ready to praise you. However, as always, you are wrong. Let’s go: we need to see Gerhard.”
That was it! Archibald glumly ignored any attempts to continue the conversation, in a hurry to bring me to his teacher. We quickly passed through one hall after another until we reached the anteroom of the Head of the Order, where we encountered the puzzled stare of another visitor. Milord Iven was waiting to be received.
“Wait here,” Archibald said curtly, and disappeared behind the inner door.
“What is this supposed to mean?” Iven looked with displeasure after the catorian who had cut in line, and decided to take it out on me. “Why are you here? I ordered you to look for the pendant!”
“That’s exactly what I am doing, Milord.” I overcame a sudden desire to kiss the ground.
“Here?!” The tone in which Iven asked me that question demonstrated quite eloquently the golden one’s opinion of my intelligence.
“Among other places.” I responded evasively. “May I ask you a question?”
“If it’s relevant to these matters.” Iven obviously had not expected me to be so forward.
“Of course it is. I can’t put this puzzle together. Lady Lecleur has twelve spiritual advisors who give their own Energy without compensation in order to charge the pendant. Right?” I waited for Iven to nod, then continued. “Ther
e is also a line of those waiting to replace any of those twelve as soon as they so much as sneeze. So, Elizabeth is a pretty important person in our game world. However, neither you nor Archibald seem too worried about the theft of the pendant. Moreover, you send unskilled newbies to look for it. And this search is more like a farce, don’t you agree? So, my question is: why are you not at the estate? It is the Order’s task, since Elizabeth is a Paladin!”
“Because the pendant will be destroyed if even one spiritual advisor shows up at the estate. Or another high-level player. The list is attached. Come on, Gerhard is ready to see you. Come with us, Shiny” Archibald looked at Iven. He was sitting silently, letting Archibald answer my questions. “I want to see your face when Gerhard approves this.”
“What list?” I heard new information and clung to it.
“The list of players forbidden from entering the Lecleur estate; it was kindly provided by monsieur the thief. How can that be more clear?” Archibald regained his former gaiety. “Actually, that’s why small fish are working on the case. At least, that’s the official version. In fact, maybe you are right. Maybe the value of Lady Lecleur to the Order is much overestimated… What do you think, Iven? Maybe one of us should teleport to the estate and be done with this search we are all so fed up with?
“Bastard!” Iven jumped to his feet instantly, and loomed over Archibald. The huge two-meter gold killing machine was ready to stomp the furry upstart in silver into the ground. Only the catorian was not fazed in the least. He was amused by events. “If you only dare …”
“I will, if I need to! But it’s too early. Relax. Two of my best students for the last thousand years are working in the estate. I would even say two and a half,” Archibald looked at me with sarcasm. “So they’ll find your pendant, it’s not going to get away. I swear by the whiskers‒Yari’s whiskers.” Archibald slapped Iven on the shoulder unceremoniously.
“Get your furry paws away from me!” Iven angrily threw off the catorian’s limb.
“Don’t get so worked up! You armor will keep shining! I stopped shedding last week, and I licked my paws clean barely a couple of hours ago. Honestly!” I could bet that someone was going to catch one in his insolent furry kisser. I’d cheer for Iven, just out of spite. I’ve never seen Archibald in battle, but still hoped that his most skillful part was his mouth.
“Don’t forget to thank Gerhard once again for protecting you. His request is the only thing that’s stopping me.” The head Earth Paladin Fighter regained his composure and stepped away from the pleased catorian. That explained the cat’s insolence. “But you will still answer to me for the Knights Templar!”
“Always at your service!” The headhunter bared his teeth. “You also ought to remember from time to time what I promised to do to you for the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.”
Realizing that there was not going to be a fight, I felt extremely uncomfortable. It was like witnessing a quarrel between husband and wife: a dubious advantage. Both husband and wife would be likely to blacklist such witnesses afterwards. Not as though I craved love from those like Iven or Archibald; but getting a “ban” from them in the Game was not something I wanted either.
“So, are you coming?” Archibald was tired of staring daggers with Iven. “We shouldn’t make the Head wait. My protégé wants to lay his hands on Leguria.”
“What else could be expected of your students?” Iven continued to argue with his opponent in words, but actually moved towards the door. “I think the Head should prohibit you from taking students. You are just multiplying your ilk and compromising the reputation of our Order!”
We entered the hallway and the door shut. The space around us filled with light blue fog. I was zapped with electricity seven times quite substantially. Each jolt was accompanied by a high-pitched pig squeal, as if the antivirus system had discovered a Trojan and was happily destroying it.
“You have really stopped taking care of yourself,” Iven grumbled once the system informed us that Archibald had caught a marker somewhere as well, while the Head of fighters was without reproach on this.
“I must be getting old.” The cat shrugged his shoulders indifferently, while all I could do was to watch in amazement how quickly the interaction between the Paladins changed. Just a moment ago they were ready to tear at each other’s throats, and now they were talking like two old buds. That was an impressive level of emotional control!
“What’s wrong with the Knights Templar? Why are you supposed to answer for them?” I asked Archibald in a whisper: until the fog dispelled, we were stuck in the hallway.
“One of the accusations brought by the Inquisition against them was that those poor souls worshipped a cat who sometimes appeared to them in their meetings. That’s nonsense! I only attended three times!” The cat did not bother to lower his voice, not in the least concerned about Iven’s reaction.
“That was enough to rule my Order discredited, and provide the Inquisition an opportunity avenge Black Tuesday!” Iven did not hold back, and hissed his comment. “Get your student to a library. You must be ashamed for his ignorance! What kind of teacher are you, when your student is a total advertisement against our class?! Because of those like him there are rumors that Paladins have degenerated!”
The fog dissipated, opening an ample and well-lit library to us. Book shelves lined the walls all the way to the high ceiling. And I started drooling in my mind, like Pavlov's dog. I even closed my eyes: the richness of the place touched me to the core!
The head of class was sitting in a comfortable armchair, his legs covered with a cozy blanket. A stack of papers was in front of him on the massive desk, and Gerhard was sorting it in two. As we appeared, the owner of the study lifted his head and nodded affably to Iven; then his fatherly stare shifted to me. I lowered my head by way of greeting and as an indication of my respect.
“Greetings, young brother. I have reviewed your request. But before responding I need to make sure that you understand the consequences and are ready to go through with the tests.”
I must have looked bewildered at that moment because I have not known of any consequences or, even worse, any tests. But I decided quickly that it was better to look stupid now than be dead in a few minutes, so I confessed:
“I must admit, while I know quite well what Leguria is, I know nothing about the consequences and tests.” Even my back felt my teacher’s facepalm. I didn’t care! He should have been more diligent in teaching me.
“Hm. I cannot say I am surprised. Thoroughness is a trait that comes with experience, so it is characteristic of old age or maturity, while curiosity and haste are normal for youth. And that’s the way it should be. It’s impossible to be experienced from birth. Right?” Gerhard spoke unhurriedly, making pauses, as if thinking of something extraneous. “Never mind an old man’s grumbles… You see, those tests are not really tests as such. They are just test activations of your skills. Yes… Only that… And the consequences… You see, not everyone can be transported into the body of a murderous monster and then calmly return back without damage to their psyche, if you know what I mean. ‘Leguria’ is not just a useful skill for fighting your enemies, but is also a burden that you assume voluntarily. I will give you a few minutes to think of all of this.”
The Head of the Paladins, having provided me with time and food for thought, nodded, inviting Iven and Archibald in for a private conversation. Their conversation would have to be called private rather tentatively: even though they spoke in lowered voices, I still heard snippets of phrases, and it was not difficult to interpret the whole line of conversation correctly. The time Gerhard had allocated for revisiting my request I used for eavesdropping without any qualms. Once I had made my decision about Leguria, I did not see any point in doubting.
“Brother Iven, you wished to see me. I hope you come bearing good news.”
I did not hear Iven’s response, but caught a testy barb from Archibald:
“Everyone is pretty sick and tired o
f your moaning about ‘Poor Liza’! Nothing will happen to her! We are not providing any excuses for the thieves. I would still recommend that you not make haste, and let my students work in peace. I am sure they will produce results.”
And again Iven’s words faded before I could hear them, no matter how much I strained my ears. However, Gerhard’s response to him was quite interesting:
“I share your feelings, brother Iven. But let’s trust Archibald. You are not impartial on this issue.”
I could not say that I learned something new on the case of the stolen pendant – and that’s what Gerhard was discussing with the Paladins. But there were a few pointers that have moved the focus of my investigation towards the Head of the fighters. In order to move forward I needed to understand the connection between Iven and “Poor Liza”. A common teacher would not worry so much about her well-being if she were simply a student.
“So what is your decision, my young brother?” Gerhard was addressing me again. “Or maybe my student? Are you ready for the tests?”
“I have thought about your words as thoroughly as I can, and I am ready to take the tests.” I tried to speak confidently so as to convince the Head that my intentions were serious. I was going to figure out what the deal was with this skill in the process.
“We shall see. Take the accumulator.” A brilliant diamond appeared on the desk. “It is yours for the duration of the testing.”
Gerhard waved his hand, opening a portal. That made me envious: I also would like to open portals or materialize objects with a gesture of one hand. Steve only shook his head. I followed the Paladins, and for a moment bright sunshine blinded me. It took the light filters on my armor just a few moments to adjust to the new environment. The blazing son of some southern country washed over the armor harmlessly, and went on to bother some locals hustling around nearby and a crowd of tourists.
The Quest (Dark Paladin Book #2) LitRPG Series Page 18
